Central DIY LED Link location- Beginning to End!

Most convenient way for the brave DIYer is hot air pencil / soldering gun / station ...

No contact while soldering ensures trouble (=>static electricity ) free work ....

Can solder -desolder almost all types of leds ...
(SMD/SMT or not ... )

Here some types :

(expensive & cheap )

http://www.lashen.com/vendors/coopertools/weller_high_end.asp

http://gsmserver.com/shop/equipment/soldering_assembly/hot_air/

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10706

http://www.zeph.com/pencil.html


Unless your soldering skills-with a normal soldering gun - are like that :
[video=youtube;5uiroWBkdFY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uiroWBkdFY[/video]
 
Oh Hell Ya I Love Getting Stoned And Read What I Cant UnderStand So I Might As Well Sub Up And Learn A Thing Or 3.
 
Hey SDS, whats your input on the extent of danger from static electricity? could you give a run-down of the actual functional problems it can cause?
 
the LED technology is so new and the possibilites are endless...i would imagine in 20 years we will be able to go from a 25cent super autoflower seed to a 7 gram cola in 30 days or less..
 
SnotBoogie said:
Hey SDS, whats your input on the extent of danger from static electricity? could you give a run-down of the actual functional problems it can cause?
Click to expand...


Simply enough..
Leds are diodes.Thus they allow current to pass one-way ...
If your clothes/skin/solder gun have build up static electricity and then get in contact with the led(s) ....
The led gets fried ...A really high current will destroy the diode(s)....

So when working with leds ,always touch frequently an earthed contact (ground ) or wear an grounding anti-static bracelet ..
And try to work in an clean environment ,without too much clothing (carpets ,curtains,blanckets ) around ..
Avoid wearing synthetic clothes ,also ..(nylon,lycra ,polyamide,ect ..)...

Washing your hands ..(static goes away ,this way ... ) ,before soldering ,ect ,is also advisable
 
..It's not "current " ....Sparks ,between you and cars,cats,others,ect are usually "discharges " ......
There's no current there ....

Ok ..For a tiny moment ,there is current .....
So much current ,that doesn't need a cable to go through ....
It can travel through air (spark ) ....
My guess ? 2 A ? No-no-no-no ....
20 A more like it ......
200 A ,maybe ....
Maybe more ....
(I'm not sure though .... )
 
So ..It is actually the High Dynamic difference ( voltage ) ,that generates a spark ....
Average humidity helps ....Dry conditions,should be avoided ( I.e . A/C ... )
 
Now besides the surface area of a heat sink, what else does somebody need to be looking at when deciding which one to use or to best fit their needs?

The slotting and spacing on the bottom side in specific, sorry if this has been stated in another article.
 
I know this doesn't answer your question specifically, but... a fan. I'm a huge proponent of active cooling despite loving the idea of passive cooling before having any real world knowledge. I had a small CPU cooler on a 20W LED and it was actually uncomfortable to the touch after ten+ minutes of passive operation. After retrofitting a little fan onto the thing it's hard to tell if it's warmer than ambient. Active cooling can make a world of difference, it really can be night and day. And for what? A few Watts of power and 20-30dB of noise? Well worth it, imo. Some sheet metal and a few nuts/bolts really isn't that expensive in order to create a chamber around your heat sink that a PC fan can pressurize.

My 2 cents.

Edit - After rereading your post this really might be beside the point. Sorry if you're like >.>
 
Material - aluminium or copper.

thermal resistance. the thicker the fins, the more effectively heat will be transferred onto them so they can do their job.

I dont think its neccessary to build a pressurised space for most active cooling solutions. If it is a design which has fins going down its entire length, a fan of equal width mounted in the middle will force air between the fins. Simple. Larger designs this still works even if the fan isnt as big as the heatsink. The bit underneath gets cool and heat is conducted back to it from the rest of the heatsink.

Be wary of heatsinks with lots of extremely narrow fins. (sheet metal almost) They are designed for active cooling and if you just calculate the surface area without taking into account thermal resistance, you will be misled about how much it can cool.

You'll often also see enclosed fin heatsinks if youre a scav like me. These look like theyd be the most efficient design for forced air cooling, but I have only just started experimenting with some i found so IDK. Importantly, they would obviously be very ineffective for passive cooling regardless of surface area, as the air movement away from the sink is inhibited by the enclosure.

Since I DIY my panels, im also often looking for a mounting bracket that I can bastardize into a hangar/fan mount.

Hope this helps!

edit: LOL i just did a Spheda and re-read your post too. Sorry but I don't understand what you're asking about the bottom face/mounting slots?
 
Since you guy's are on the topic of cooling I have a question. Has anyone on here tried water cooling for their LED lights?
 
I think the concensus is that it is unneccessary when taking into account the maximum usable about of light in a given area (you could easily cool it with air).

Plus if it fails you're super double screwed.

Plus, more money and space needed.
 
Scotch089 said:
Now besides the surface area of a heat sink, what else does somebody need to be looking at when deciding which one to use or to best fit their needs?

The slotting and spacing on the bottom side in specific, sorry if this has been stated in another article.
Click to expand...

To be completely honest, now that I reread what I had asked- I dont know what meant...

maybe the material? (alloy?)

I figured out the Rt shit

Had to read it two or three times... but I got it. So now once I find the emitters I settle on, Ill know how to find my heatsink.

THOUGH

I know how to read datasheets of emitters... a little bit.

I am still confused about what we WANT in Luminous Flux, I think I understand what it is- but what do we want.

If anyone has some insight on sources for some good(fair priced for a DIY):

-Whites, ~3w (C, N, and W)
-Reds (660 in specific), 1w or 3w
-Blues, 1w, and 120*

And some PCB boards... or alternatives!

I saw SDS mentioned Herausesseses.es...... whatever, I couldnt even pronounce when I was reading about it..

but it sounded like a worthy alternative..
 
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